Cibrary  of  the  theological  Seminary 

PRINCETON  • NEW  JERSEY 
•as^D* 

FROM  THE  LIBRARY  OF 
ROBERT  ELLIOTT  SPEER 

F 2223  .047  1899  i 

Olsson,  Emilio. 

The  dark  continent — at  our 
doors 


THE  DARK  CONTINENT 

....  AT  OUR  DOORS: 

Slavery,  Heathenism,  and  Cruelty 
in  South  America. 


By  ]/ 

REV.  EMILIO  OLSSON, 

Missionary  to  South  America. 


With  an  Introduction  by 

HENRY  MANN 


M.  E.  MUNSON,  PUBLISHER, 

BIBLE  HOUSE,  NEW  YORK  CITY. 


Copyright,  1899, 
By  HENRY  MANN. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Introduction — 10 

Carrying  the  Bible  Into  the  Forests  ..  17 

In  Wildest  South  America 27 

A Marvelous  Continent 31 

Among  the  Gauchos — 37 

Sleeping  on  Scorpions.  41 

On  the  Great  Pampas 45 

Lost  in  the  Forest 49 

The  Falls  of  the  Madeira  52 

Among  the  Savage  Tribes  . . . 56 

Curious  Courtship 62 

Marriage  in  Patagonia 65 

Strange  Burial  Ceremonies  65 

The  Warlike  Tobas 77 

Burying  Aged  People  Alive Si 

South  American  Dialects. 85 

Indians  of  the  Amazon 86 

Descendants  of  the  Incas ....  88 

The  Gospel  and  South  America 89 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

Rev.  Emilio  Olsson Frontispiece 

The  Neglected  Continent 9 

Snow-land  of  the  Andes 17 

A Native  Bridge 19 

The  Grand  Cathedral.  Lima,  Pern 21 

Ladies  of  South  America 23 

In  the  Land  of  the  Incas 24 

A View  of  the  Upper  Amazon 25 

Ruins  of  the  Palace  of  the  Incas  . . 29 

The  Rolling  Stone  Tandil  in  Argentina 33 

Mounting  to  the  Summit  of  the  Andes  34 

Traveling  on  the  Pampas 3; 

Lost  in  the  Deep  Forest  39 

A Boating  Party  on  the  Amazon  43 

' Brujos”  or  Fetishmen 47 

India  Rubber  Workers  on  the  Beni 51 

La  Matriz  Church.  Potosi 53 

Amazonian  Chief  in  War-dress 55 

A Peaceful  Indian  Settlement 57 

“Rancho’-  of  Semi-civilized  Indians 59 

Indians  Fishing  With  Bow  and  Arrow 6: 

Savages  Hunting  in  the  Forest 63 

Indian  Chief 66 

A Tobas  Family 67 

Nearly  Swamped  in  the  Madeira 70 

Scene  in  the  Tobas’  Country 71 

Plantation  in  Bolivia 74 

Gauchos  on  the  Pampas 75 

The  Falls  of  the  Madeira 78 

Taming  a Wild  Mare 79 

A Forest  Indian  81 

Group  of  Semi-civilized  Indians 83 

A Young  Bolivian  Savage  86 

Sketched  Near  the  Beni 89 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/darkcontinentatoOOolss 


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REV.  EMILIO  OLSSON 


MAP  OF  SOUTH  AMERICA 


INTRODUCTION 

By  Henry  Mann 

No  field  could  be  riper  for  the  harvest  than  South 
America  is  to-day  for  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  A 
vast  continent,  extensive  regions  of  which  are  un- 
explored, and  the  semi-civilized  parts  of  which  are  but 
little  known  to  Christendom,  cries  out,  with  the  cry  of 
Macedonia  to  Paul,  to  the  heart  and  conscience  of  the 
Protestant  world.  While  nearly  every  steamer  cross- 
ing either  ocean  to  Africa  or  the  Orient  bears  some 
message  of  light  to  the  heathen  groping  in  the  dark- 
ness of  idolatry  and  superstition,  millions  of  South 
American  heathen  at  our  threshold  remain  neglected, 
and  plunged  in  barbarism  and  ignorance  even  to  a 
greater  degree  than  when  Columbus  first  landed  in 
the  western  hemisphere. 

The  South  American  savage  has  become  fiercer,  his 
hatred  of  the  stranger  deeper, his  jealousy  of  intrusion 
into  his  native  wilds  more  passionate  and  intolerant, 
than  hundreds  of  years  ago;  while  the  condition  of 
the  more  peaceful  Indian  in  the  interior  of  South 
America  is  actually  worse  than  it  was  under  Spanish 
domination.  Members  of  the  peaceful  tribes  are 
bought  and  sold  in  slavery;  they  are  decoyed  and  kid- 
napped from  their  homes,  and  sometimes  those  of  the 
savage  tribes  are  borne  away,  while  young  and  de- 
fenceless. into  hopeless  bondage,  the  grown-up  males, 
who  might  be  disposed  to  resist,  having  first  been  shot 


INTRO  DUCT  ION 


1 1 

down  by  slave-hunters,  after  the  fashion  of  the  Arabs 
in  Central  Africa. 

'these  Indian  slaves  are  carried  to  the  rubber  for- 
ests, where  there  is  no  law  to  protect  them,  and  are 
kept  at  work,  with  hardly  food  enough  to  sustain  life, 
— so  greedy  are  their  masters, — until  there  is  no  more 
work  in  them.  Many  of  them  are  sent  down  the  rivers 
with  rubber,  to  perish  miserably  in  the  Madeira  Falls, 
which  claim  numerous  victims  every  year,  but  none 
are  ever  suffered  to  return  to  the  homes  from  which 
they  were  kidnapped,  to  tell  the  story  of  their  wrongs 
and  kindle  a flame  ot  vengeance  that  might  sweep 
from  the  Gran  Chaco  to  the  Amazon. 

On  the  afternoon  of  last  election  day,  I was  standing 
by  the  side  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  Olsson,  watching  the 
gay  throngs  of  bicycle  riders  sweep  by  on  Riverside 
Drive.  “It  makes  me  sad,”  said  Mr.  Olsson,  “to 
think  that  the  rubber  in  each  one  of  those  bicycles 
probably  represents  a poor  Indian’s  life.”  The  sun 
was  shining, the  air  was  crisp  and  clear,  before  us  was 
the  fashion,  the  gaiety,  the  beauty  of  New  York, — but 
beyond  it  all,  Mr.  Olsson  looked  at  the  poor  Indian 
toiling  in  hopeless  bondage  in  the  South  American 
rubber  forest, or  hurled  to  his  death  in  the  Falls  of  the 
Madeira,  with  no  hope  in  this  world,  no  knowledge  of 
the  Saviour,  no  tidings  of  the  message  of  Bethlehem, 
to  assuage  his  cruel  toil, or  console  him  in  his  wretched 
death.  He  thought  of  the  millions  in  darkness  in  the 
trackless  wilderness,  while  this  great  metropolis  had 
pastors  and  churches  for  all  who  might  care  to  hear 
the  message  of  salvation, — and  he  was  sad. 

Will  others  share  his  sadness,  or  shall  the  answer  be, 


12 


INTRODUCTION 


“Am  I my  brother’s  keeper?”  North  America  cannot 
escape  a deep  moral  responsibility  for  South  America. 
The  Chinese  wall  of  bigotry  and  exclusion  around  our 
sister  continent  is  crumbling.  American  prestige  was 
never  so  great  as  now.  Never  before  were  the  people 
of  Spanish  America  so  ready  to  welcome  the  principles 
which  have  made  the  United  States  and  England  the 
leaders  of  civilization,  the  pillars  of  pure  Christianity. 
Mr.  Olsson,  who,  although  a Swede  by  birth,  did  im- 
portant service  to  the  American  cause  in  connection 
with  his  missionary  labors,  during  the  recent  war,  has 
found  this  out  in  his  thousands  of  miles  of  travel.  He 
has  seen  that  the  Roman  Catholic  hierarchy  is  no 
longer  the  power  that  it  was ; that  it  no  longer  has  the 
hold  upon  the  minds  of  the  people  which  it  once  pos- 
sessed, and  that  even  in  places  remote  from  intercourse 
with  the  outer  world  many  can  be  found  willing  to 
hear  the  Gospel,  and  to  welcome  its  messenger. 

It  is  noteworthy  in  this  regard  that  one  feature  of 
Mr.  Olsson’s  missionary  work,  which  excited  surprise 
and  attracted  favorable  attention  in  South  America, 
was  the  fact  that  he  performed  his  sacred  duties  with- 
out fee  or  reward  from  the  natives.  The  common 
people  could  not  understand  what  it  meant  when  they 
met  a minister  of  the  Gospel  who  was  solely  anxious 
to  tell  them  of  Christ  and  His  teachings,  and  whose 
object  was  not  to  absorb  as  large  a share  as  possible 
of  their  worldly  goods.  Their  astonishment,  how- 
ever, soon  turned  into  esteem  for  the  missionary  and 
the  cause  which  he  so  earnestly  presented,  and  they 
were  in  all  the  better  frame  of  mind  for  listening  to 
the  Word  of  God.  Under  any  circumstances,  the  seed 


INTRO D UCTION 


13 


thus  sown  by  the  Reverend  Mr.  Olsson  cannot  fail  to 
bear  fruit;  but  his  path  through  the  wilderness  will 
soon  be  obliterated,  should  his  work  not  be  followed 
up  in  a thorough,  earnest,  and  systematic  way,  with 
his  invaluable  experience,  to  point  out  the  road,  under 
the  direction  and  guidance  of  Almighty  God, — for  He 
who  takes  note  of  the  sparrow's  fall  cannot  be  indif- 
ferent to  the  fate  of  the  millions  of  poor  Indians,  and 
hardly  less  ignorant  Spanish-Americans. 

It  is  worth  keeping  in  mind,  also,  that  the  very  sur- 
vival of  the  civilization,  such  as  it  is,  which  exists  in 
the  interior  of  South  America,  may  depend  on  the 
evangelization  of  the  savage  Indians.  The  indepen- 
dent, warrior  tribes  of  the  Gran  Chaco  and  the  Ama- 
zonian forests  are  not,  according  to  the  best  evidence 
that  can  be  obtained,  declining  in  numbers.  O11  the 
contrary,  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  they  are  in- 
creasing,and  becoming  more  and  more  of  a menace  to 
the  Spanish- American  element,  which,  as  a matter  of 
fact,  is  retrograding.  Should  a Tecumseh  arise  in 
South  America,  and  gather  the  savages  into  a coali- 
tion against  the  dominant  race,  he  would  probably  be 
joined  by  many  of  the  tribes  now  called  peaceful,  and 
perhaps  even  by  multitudes  of  the  half-castes,  who 
form  the  rank  and  file  of  the  armies  of  the  South 
American  republics. 

It  is  not  going  too  far  to  assume  that  some  of  the 
weaker  governments  would  disappear  before  the  on- 
slaught, and  the  task  of  redeeming  South  America  be 
made  immeasurably  more  difficult  than  it  is  now. 
This  spectre  of  a great  Indian  uprising  against  the 
whites  is  ever-present  to  the  minds  of  the  intelligent 


14 


INTRODUCTION 


rulers  of  South  American  states,  and  so  anxious  are 
they  to  remove  the  danger,  that  they  would  welcome, 
Mr.  Olsson  believes,  the  evangelizing  and  civilizing  of 
the  Indians  even  by  Protestant  missionaries.  They 
care  not  so  much  for  the  religious  faith  in  which  the 
Indians  would  be  trained,  as  they  care  to  see  them 
tamed  and  disarmed,  and  no  longer  a menace  to  the 
peace  of  South  America  and  the  security  of  the  domi- 
nant race. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  not  to  be  forgotten  that 
South  America  is  the  very  citadel  of  Romanism,  and 
that  while  toleration  has  triumphed  in  Italy,  and  while 
even  Spain  has  been  compelled  to  recognize  the  right 
of  Protestants  to  worship  in  public,  free,  at  least, from 
legal  molestation,  in  parts  of  South  America  this  free- 
dom is  still  denied,  and  open  persecution  and  secret 
assassination  menace  the  Gospel  missionary.  Mr. 
Olsson  was  more  than  once  in  danger  of  losing  his  life 
at  the  hands  of  men  incited  to  violence,  as  he  had 
reason  to  believe,  by  priests  who  wished  to  get  rid  of 
him,  and  he  incurred  fully  as  much  peril  from  this 
source  as  from  the  savages  of  the  forests.  He  has  no 
desire  whatever  to  convey  the  impression  that  the 
priests  in  general,  or  their  superiors,  would  approve 
such  methods  of  preventing  the  spread  of  the  truth  ; 
but  he  feels  it  is  his  duty  to  state  that  this  form  of 
danger  does  exist,  and  that  the  motive  is  the  same  as 
that  which  prompted  the  silversmiths  of  Ephesus  to 
arouse  the  populace  against  the  apostle  to  the  Gen- 
tiles. 

A vast  amount  of  the  wealth  of  South  America  is  in 
the  hands  of  the  Roman  Church,  and  of  individual 


INTRO  D UCTION 


15 


ecclesiastics,  while  Protestant  missionary  efforts  must 
depend  almost  altogether  on  contributions  from  Pro- 
testant countries,  which,  compared  with  the  resources 
of  Romanism,  are  as  a rivulet  to  the  Amazon. 

Mr.  Olsson  has  a practical  and  well-defined  plan  for 
Gospel  work  in  South  America.  To  labor  successfully 
among  the  Indians  of  the  forests,  it  is  necessary  to  be 
acquainted  with  their  various  dialects  or  languages, 
and  he  would  establish  in  Buenos  Ayres,  or  its  vicinity, 
a school  of  interpreters,  where  the  study  of  those  lan- 
guages could  be  conducted.  He  would  also  establish 
a training  school  for  Indian  children,  where  they  might 
be  educated  both  in  Christianity  and  in  forms  of  use- 
ful industry,  to  go  later  among  their  fellow-tribesmen, 
and  spread  the  knowledge  which  they  had  acquired. 
While  this  is  the  fundamental  part  of  the  work,  Mr. 
Olsson  would  not  stop  here.  He  aims  ultimately,  with 
the  blessing  of  God  and  the  assistance  of  those  who 
are  willing  to  aid  from  their  substance  in  the  spread  of 
the  Gospel  and  the  betterment  of  humanity,  to  civilize 
the  savage  tribes  and  improve  the  material  as  well  as 
the  spiritual  condition  of  the  semi-civilized  tribes,  by 
providing  employment  for  them  suitable  to  the  climate 
and  the  other  conditions  surrounding  them,  with  fail- 
remuneration  for  their  labor,  and  humane  and  honor- 
able treatment, — such  as  would  convince  them  that 
they  were  not  looked  upon  as  “brute  animals,” — the 
favorite  Spanish  expression  for  an  Indian,  but  as 
human  beings,  whose  rights  are  respected  and  whose 
welfare  is  safeguarded  by  their  fellow  men. 

It  is  a grand  idea,  an  aim  worthy  of  another  Liv- 
ingstone,— the  evangelization  of  a continent; — but  no 


l6 


INT  RO  DUCT  ION 


one  who  has  listened  to  Mr.  Olsson  in  the  pulpit  or  out 
of  it  can  doubt  his  sincerity,  his  earnestness,  his  de- 
votion to  Christ  and  His  Gospel,  and  the  redemption 
of  the  races  now  dwelling  in  darkness  in  that  vast 
region  of  the  western  hemisphere.  He  has  been  of- 
fered opportunities  to  go  to  Cuba  and  to  the  Philip- 
pines as  an  evangelist,  but  his  heart  is  in  South 
America,  and  there,  if  it  be  God's  will,  he  will  continue 
to  the  end  to  strive  in  the  cause  to  which  he  has 
devoted  his  life.  What  dangers  lie  before  him  he 
knows  not.  Whether,  like  Livingstone,  he  will  breathe 
his  last  prayer  in  some  savage  village,  far  from  home 
and  kindred,  only  the  Creator  can  foresee:  but  that  he 
will  go  forward  with  the  work  he  has  undertaken,  in 
simple  faith  and  dependence  on  the  Divine  protection 
which  has  heretofore  shielded  him  amid  savage  beasts 
and  men  even  more  savage,  is  assured. 


CARRYING  THE  BIBLE  INTO  THE  FORESTS 

From  “ The  Christian  Herald  '' 

In  connection  with  my  work,  a few  words  concern- 
ing myself  and  the  way  God  led  me  into  my  wide  and 
perilous  field  of  labor  may  not  be  amiss.  I was  born, 
1859,  in  Gottenberg,  Sweden,  and  at  an  early  age 
broke  away  from  my  dear  mother’s  arms,  and,  ship- 
ping aboard  a merchant  vessel,  with  one  of  whose 
owners  I was  acquainted,  began,  as  an  apprentice, 
learning  the  art  of  navigation  (with  ambition  set  upon 
becoming  a sea-captain,)  the  wanderings  through 
which  the  Lord  mercifully  brought  me,  and  which 
have  by  His  grace  been  turned  to  good  service.  Twice 
I suffered  shipwreck;  once  1 had  to  swim  for  my  life; 
often  my  lot  was  cast  among  evil  men,  but,  in  terrihe 


SNOW-LAND  OF  THE  ANDES 


i8 


THE  BIBLE  IN  THE  FORESTS 


storms,  through  hardships  almost  unendurable  and 
dangers  imperiling  soul  and  body,  I felt  the  need  of 
my  mother’s  God,  and  the  knowledge  that  her  faith- 
ful prayers  followed  me  was  inspiration  and  protec- 
tion. I visited  many  countries  of  Europe;  also  India, 
Java,  Australia,  North  and  South  America,  and  at 
last  God's  providence  brought  me  to  the  Falkland 
Islands,  where  I was  converted.  On  the  mainland, 
where  I began  to  preach,  one  of  my  first  converts  was 
my  own  wife,  and  together  we  started  a sailors’  mis- 
sion, which  became  a mighty  power,  also  a Spanish 
mission  which  has  sent  forth  many  branches  of  Chris- 
tian work.  Spanish  is  the  principal  language  of 
civilized  South  America;  but  there  is  a great  aboriginal 
population  speaking  various  languages  and  dialects 
of  its  own. 

At  this  time  a desire  to  carry  God's  Word  to  the 
tribes  of  the  vast  and  neglected  interior  of  South 
America  took  possession  of  me,  and  since  then  over 
20,000  copies  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  in  many  langu- 
ages, have  passed  through  my  hands.  My  travels 
have  covered  over  50,000  miles,  3,000  of  which  I made 
mule-back  and  horse-back,  and  much  of  it  on  foot, — 
always  carrying  my  Bibles,  To  forty-two  different 
nationalities  and  tribes  I have  presented  the  Word  of 
God,  and  1 have  reached  with  the  Gospel  over  one 
million  souls.  Six  times  have  I crossed  the  great 
Andes;  have  visited  many  places  where  hardly  a 
white  man  had  ever  been  before,  and  encountered 
numerous  tribes  unknown  to  the  civilized  world;  and, 
altogether,  my  journeyings  from  Patagonia  to  the 
Amazon,  and  along  its  tributaries,  might  be  compared 


THE.  BIBLE:  IN  THE  FORESTS 


'9 


A NATIVE  BRIDGE  IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


THE  BIBLE  IN  THE  FORESTS 


21 


to  those  of  Stanley  and  Livingstone  in  Darkest  Africa. 
Truly,  Darkest  Africa  is  better  known  to-day  than 
darkest  South  America,  our  sister  continent.  I have 
journeyed  3,000  miles  through  the  interior  without 
meeting  a single  Protestant  missionary. 

Wild,  savage  tribes,  there  are  many,  roaming  about 
through  the  great  forests  like  wild  beasts,  unclad,  un- 
taught, uncared  for,  speaking  a Babel  of  strange 


THE  GRAND  CATHEDRAL,  LIMA,  PERU 

tongues,  and  practicing  in  pathetic  ignorance  cruel 
and  revolting  customs;  yet  eager  for  something  better 
than  they  know.  When  among  a tribe  of  Chiquitanos, 
to  whom  I was  preaching  through  an  interpreter,  I 
said,  “The  Bible  is  the  Word  of  God,”  some  wanted  to 
kiss  the  book  and  to  kiss  my  hand.  A man  of  seventv 
years  said-  “Blessed  be  God  for  this  good  news.  It 
is  the  first  time  I have  heard  it  in  all  my  life.”  A 
young  man,  semi-civilized,  to  whom  I gave  a Bible, 


22 


THE  TITLE  IN  THE  FORESTS 


had  heard  some  vague  story  of  a “Book  of  Life,"  had 
been  seeking  it  for  three  years  and  received  it  with 
unspeakable  delight.  In  Bolivia  alone  there  are  over 
one  million  Indians;  in  the  depths  of  Brazil,  four 
millions  more.  And  this  mighty  host  are  as  sheep 
without  a shepherd'  In  New  York  you  have  one 
preacher  to  every  six  hundred  people;  in  South 
America,  with  its  nearly  eight  million  square  miles 
and  forty  million  population,  we  have  only  about  two 
hundred  Protestant  preachers, — one  to  every  two 
hundred  thousand  souls. 

The  tremendous  difficulty  of  reaching  these  inland 
tribes,  and  the  dangers  attendant, furnish  explanation 
of  the  world's  ignorance  of  them.  My  last  journey, 
covering  some  four  thousand  miles,  from  Buenos 
Ayres  to  the  Amazon, — a journey  that  had  never  be- 
fore been  made  by  a missionary  of  the  Cross, — occu- 
pied many  months,  during  which  1 had  no  news  from 
family  or  friends.  I went  through  trackless  forests, 
where  deadly  serpents  hung  overhead  or  crawled 
underfoot.  Wild  beasts  howled  around  our  camp  at 
night,  and  tigers  crept  almost  upon  us. 

■Sr  * * 

On  the  lecture  platform  and  in  the  religious  press  I 
am  pleading  for  the  dying  millions  in  South  America. 
I am  going  back,  and  I hope  to  journey  again  into  the 
heart  of  South  America,  carrying  my  Bibles  and 
preaching  through  an  interpreter,  wherever  possible. 
My  wife  is  now  at  work  in  our  little  mission  at  Ad- 
rogue,  Buenos  Ayres,  doing  all  in  her  power  for 
native  children.  Here  and  there,  as  best  we  could, 
we  have  established  little  missions  all  over  the  conti- 


THE  BIBLE  IN  THE  FORESTS 


23 


LADIES  OF  SOUTH  AMERICA 

This  picture  represents  a number  of  Spanish- American  women 
of  the  better  class,  taken  in  their  ordinary  costumes.  The  Spanish- 
American  women  are,  as  a rule,  much  more  devoted  to  the  church 
than  the  men,  and  are  in  fact,  the  chief  dependence  of  Romanism 
in  South  America. 


24 


THE  BIBLE  IN  THE  FORESTS 


nent.  We  purpose  starting  an  Indian  school  wherein 
we  may  gather  children  of  benighted  races, train  them 
up  as  missionaries,  and  send  them  back  to  their  peo- 
ple. We  also  hope  to  found  a school  of  interpreters, 
who  are  greatly  needed  in  the  work.  In  this  work, 
which  is  one  of  faith,  we  are  depending  wholly  on  the 


IN  THE  LAND  OF  THE  INCAS 

kind  cooperation  of  God's  people  in  the  United  States 
and  elsewhere,  and  all  the  material  aid  they  can  give 
us  will  be  gratefully  acknowledged.  All  contributions 
should  be  sent  to  “The  Christian  Herald,”  and  letters 
regarding  the  work  may  be  addressed  to  the  under- 
signed at  Andi'ogue,  F.  C.  S.,  Buenos  Ayres,  South 
America.  Emii.io  Olsson. 


THE  BIBLE  IN  'THE  FORESTS 


5 


A VIEW  ON  THE  UPPER  AMAZON 


IN  WILDEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 


An  address  delivered  by  Rev.  Emilio  Olsson  before  the  Second 
Baptist  Church  of  New  York  City. 

Dear  Christian  Friends:— I am  very  happy  to  be 
here  to-night  and  for  the  kind  introduction  of  your 
pastor,  but  one  thing  he  forgot  to  tell  you,  and  I had 
better  mention  it  before  I go  any  farther  into  my 
story:  I am  a Swede  by  birth,  my  wife  is  French,  and 
my  children  were  born  in  South  America  and  speak 
Spanish,  and  now  I have  to  talk  to  you  in  English. 

My  heart's  desire  to-night  is  that  the  Lord  might 
send  us  a shower  of  blessing,  and  lay  on  your  hearts 
this  great  and  mighty  continent,  our  sister  continent, 
our  next  neighbor. 

Before  taking  your  minds  right  down  to  the  heart  of 
South  America,  I wish  to  tell  you  how  the  Lord  brought 
me  there.  About  twenty  years  ago,  I left  my  native 
land,  and  had  a great  desire  to  see  the  wonders  of  the 
deep.  I had  a dear  Christian  mother  at  home,  who 
was  praying  for  me,  but  I would  not  give  my  heart  to 
God  then.  It  was  not  until  I was  cast  upon  the  deep, 
and  when  I was  shipwrecked  and  in  dangers  and 
penis,  then  I cried  to  my  mother's  God,  and  I wanted 
to  know  something  of  her  wonderful  Saviour.  After 
some  time  the  Lord  brought  me  from  almost  the  North 
Pole  to  near  the  South  Pole, — to  the  Falkland  Islands, 
— the  most  southerly  of  England's  organized  colonies, 


28 


IN  WILDEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 


where  Alien  Gardiner,  that  noble  martyr  of  the  Gos- 
pel, bade  goodbv  to  civilization  before  going  to  meet 
death  on  the  bleak  shores  of  Tierra  del  Fuego.  There 
God  converted  me,  and  1 have  been  happy  ever  since, 
and  I desire  to  praise  God  for  his  goodness  and  for  his 
wonderful  keeping  power. 

God's  Call  to  Spread  the  Gospel 

After  my  conversion,  God  called  me  to  spread  the 
Gospel.  I was  so  overjoyed,  I could  not  keep  still. 
The  Lord  brought  me  to  the  mainland,  and  laid  it  on 
my  heart  to  travel  with  the  Word.  One  of  my  first 
converts  there  was  my  own  wife.  So  the  work  went 
on,  and  we  started  a little  sailors’  mission,  and  it  is 
flourishing  to-day.  After  this  we  started  a Spanish 
mission,  which  grew  into  different  branches  of  Chris- 
tian work.  Even  the  Salvation  Army  came  out  through 
the  influence  of  one  member  belonging  to  that  little 
meeting.  Last  night  I met  a Salvationist,  and  I asked 
him  why  they  don't  send  more  soldiers  to  conquer 
South  America.  These  dear  souls  are  doing  their  very 
best  in  South  America.  I trust  God  will  send  more 
real  soldiers  of  the  cross  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  those 
heathen. 

I am  so  glad  that  your  pastor  and  this  mission  are  so 
interested  in  giving  the  Gospel  to  all  nations  and 
climes.  It  makes  my  heart  rejoice  when  I see  those 
who  are  longing  to  have  the  world  evangelized.  Of 
course,  we  cannot  all  go,  but  we  can  help  others  to  go 
and  pray  for  the  evangelization  of  the  heathen,  and 
take  part  in  the  greatest  enterprise  of  saving  a perish- 
ing world. 


IN  WILDEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 


'■9 


RUINS  OF  THE  PALACE  OF  THE  INCAS 


IN  WILDEST  S0U1 II  AMERICA 


3i 


I have  had  many  terrible  experiences  in  South 
America.  Once  I had  to  swim  to  save  my  life.  I have 
been  among  savages  and  evil  men,  but  I was  kept  by 
the  wonderful  keeping  power  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  I 
desire  to  praise  Him  to-night  that  He  has  permitted  me 
to  come  to  this  little  meeting,  I trust  He  will  put  that 
dark  continent  on  your  hearts  to-night. 

A Harvelous  Continent 

South  America  is  a marvelous  continent.  Just  think 
of  the  great  need  of  that  country, — more  than  twice  as 
large  as  the  United  States,  including  all  your  recent 
conquests  and  colonies,  and  with  probably  half  the 
population, — or  about  forty  millions  in  all.  There  are 
only  about  three  hundred  missionaries,  and  I hardly 
think  there  are  so  many.  In  South  America  there  is 
one  worker  to  every  two  hundred  thousand  souls, 
while  in  New  York  City,  I believe,  you  have  one 
preacher  to  every  six  hundred  souls.  I wish  that  half 
the  preachers  in  New  York  would  come  to  South  Amer- 
ica and  preach  the  Gospel  to  those  tribes  and  people. 
You  can  easily  count  the  mission  stations  in  South 
America,  and  most  of  them  I have  visited.  In  the 
heart  of  the  continent  there  is  not  one  station. 

The  interior  of  South  America  is  not  known  to  the 
civilized  world.  Truly,  Central  Africa  is  better  known 
to  Christian  nations  than  Central  South  America.  I 
traveled  four  thousand  miles  in  that  great  interior, not 
meeting  one  missionary  until  I reached  the  coast. 

O,  let  us  remember  dear  South  America ! The  great 
command  is,  “Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the 


32 


IN  WILDEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 


Gospel,  and  lo  I am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the 
end  of  the  world  !” 

It  seems  to  my  mind  that  New  York  is  the  Jerusa- 
lem, to  see  so  many  preachers  and  Gospel  tents.  I do 
not  see  how  people  can  fail  to  be  saved  in  a city  like 
New  York.  If  any  are  lost  here,  they  will  be  worse 
off  than  those  poor  heathen  who  have  never  heard  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

Traveled  Fifty  Thousand  Atiles 

I have  been  in  South  America  seventeen  years,  and 
my  wife  and  children  are  still  down  there.  My  trav- 
els represent  about  fifty  thousand  miles.  I have  vis- 
ited all  the  Spanish-speaking  countries  in  South 
A nerica,  and  have  met  at  least  forty  different  nation- 
alities and  tribes,  to  whom  I have  presented  the  Word 
of  God,  and,  possibly,  I have  reached  with  the  Word 
of  God  and  the  Gospel  about  one  million  souls.  I 
praise  God  that  he  has  permitted  me  to  carry  over 
twenty  thousand  copies  of  his  Word  to  this  neglected 
people.  I do  not  give  a straw  for  my  preaching,  but 
I do  praise  God  for  allowing  me  to  carry  his  precious 
W'ord  to  those  hungry  souls.  I hope,  if  God  spares 
my  life,  to  go  into  the  heart  of  Brazil. 

I have  traveled  about  three  thousand  miles  on  mule- 
back  with  my  Bibles.  As  soon  as  the  Lord  taught  me 
the  language,  I received  a distinct  call  to  penetrate, 
and  to  carry  the  Word  of  God  to  those  natives. 

I set  out  on  my  long  journey, leaving  Buenos  Ayres, 
which  is  the  central  station  of  South  America,  and 
probably  it  will  be  the  New  York  of  this  great  conti- 
nent. It  is  a great  gateway  to  all  parts  of  South 


IN  WILDEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 


33 


THE  ROLLING-STONE  TANDIL  AT  ARGENTINA 


MOUNTING  TO  THE  SUMMIT  OF  THE  ANDES 


34 


IN  WILDEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 


IN  WILDES 7 SOUTH  AMERICA 


35 


TRAVELLING  ON  THE  PAMPAS  OF  PATAGONIA 


IN  WILDEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 


37 


America.  All  my  travels  commenced  here.  I have 
crossed  the  Andes  six  times.  These  mountains  ex- 
tend from  Patagonia  to  Colombia,  a distance  of  four 
thousand,  seven  hundred  miles.  They  are  the  great- 
est chain  in  the  new  world.  When  I crossed  with  my 
wife  and  two  children,  we  suffered  much  in  the  cold, 
bleak  regions  known  as  the  “Puna."  The  “Puna"  is 
the  name  given  to  the  high  table-lands  and  cold, bleak 
regions  lying  between  the  central  and  the  coast 
ranges  of  the  Cordilleras.  The  lofty  ranges  form  the 
highest  points  of  the  South  American  highlands, 
standing  at  an  altitude  of  fifteen  thousand  feet  above 
the  sea.  The  air  is  very  light,  and  my  wife  and  chil- 
dren fainted,  and  I had  great  trouble  to  get  them 
down.  It  is  very  hard,  in  some  parts,  to  cross  the 
Andes. 


Among  the  “Gauchos” 

On  my  first  journey,  I went  down  south  into  Pata- 
gonia. You  have  all  heard  about  the  Patagonians, — 
those  tall  and  powerful- savages, whom  early  voyagers 
spoke  of  as  giants.  My  plan  was  first  to  take  a sail- 
ing vessel, but  there  was  no  way  to  get  down  south  by 
sea;  but  the  Lord  opened  my  way.  There  was  a car- 
avan ready  to  travel  across  the  continent,  escorted  by 
gauchos.  These  gauchos  are  very  treacherous,  and 
also  very  quarrelsome.  At  night  they  laydown  with- 
out any  shelter,  and  1 had  to  follow  their  example.  A 
fire  was  made,  and  all  the  gauchos  and  Indians  used 
to  sit  around  and  drink  mate , or  Paraguay  tea,  which 
is  a refreshing  but  not  an  intoxicating  beverage.  A 
vessel  containing  the  mate  was  passed  from  one  to  an- 


38  IN  WILDEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 


other,  and  one  had  to  drink,  or  give  offense.  These 
ganchos  and  Indians  would  take  a large  piece  of 
meat  on  a stick  and  roast  it  in  the  fire,  and  when  it 
was  half  done,  each  one  got  a knife  and  cutoff  a piece, 
and  ate  it  with  their  hands.  I had  no  knife,  and  so 
they  would  cut  me  off  a slice,  and  throw  it  to  me  as  to 
an  animal. 

At  night  they  laid  their  revolvers  under  them,  readv 
to  jump  up  and  fight  one  another  at  a moment's 
notice.  I had  no  revolver.  I carried  one  only  one 
day,  and  it  was  the  most  miserable  day  I ever  put  in. 
Everything  went  wrong.  Though  I had  no  revolver, 
I had  plenty  of  Bibles,  and  instead  of  putting  a re- 
volver under  my  head,  1 put  my  Bibles,  and  slept  as 
a prince  in  his  palace.  No  one  will  harm  you,  if  you 
believe  in  the  keeping  power  of  the  Saviour. 

One  man  said,  “I  saw  you  sleep  last  night." 
“Well,  how  did  I sleep?”  “You  slept  like  an  angel," 
he  answered. 

After  a few  days,  those  people  got  interested,  and 
wanted  to  know  about  the  Great  Spirit.  The  ganc/ios 
were  very  kind  to  me  afterwards,  and  they  cut  the 
best  piece  of  meat  for  me,  and  did  not  throw  it  to  me, 
fbut  handed  it  to  me. 

One  night,  after  supper,  they  asked  me  to  tell  them 
something  about  Jesus  Christ.  Then  I told  them  the 
wonderful  story  of  Jesus  and  His  love.  I asked  one 
mail  if  he  ever  heard  of  such  a person  as  Jesus  Christ, 
and  he  said,  “No,  who  is  he,  where  does  he  live?" 
What  a privilege  to  tell  those  Indians  about  Him  who 
is  called  “Wonderful,  Counsellor.  Mighty  God,  Ever- 
lasting Father,  and  the  Prince  of  Peace!"  They  were 


IN  WILDEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 


LOST  IN  THE  DEEP  FOREST 


IN  WILDEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 


4i 


lost  in  astonishment.  “Is  it  possible  that  God  sent 
His  Son  for  poor  lost  Indians?’’  they  would  say.  It 
was  glorious  to  be  able  to  tell  them  that  Jesus  saves 
even  in  the  depth  of  South  America.  We  had  glorious 
times  together. 

Sleeping  on  Scorpions 

One  night,  I had  a very  narrow  escape,  sleeping  on 
two  scorpions,  but  God  kept  them  still  all  night,  and 
I slept  like  a child.  In  the  morning,  one  man  said, 
“You  have  been  sleeping  on  two  scorpions.  You  are 
a wonderful  man.  Don't  they  bite  you?”  “No,  they 
don't,”  I answered,  “because  God  keeps  me.” 

I remember  one  day  one  of  the  Indians  was  thrown 
off  his  beast  into  the  air,  and  could  not  move,  and  he 
was  sick  for  some  days,  but  we  could  not  leave  that 
poor  Indian.  I got  some  fat  and  rubbed  him,  and 
after  awhile  the  poor  Indian  got  up,  and  he  was  well. 
He  thought  it  was  a wonderful  cure,  and  was  grateful 
for  my  operation. 

Their  ignorance  was  pitiful.  I asked  an  Indian, 
“Are  you  married?”  “Married,  what  does  that 
mean?”  “Have  you  a wife?”  “Wife,  what  does  that 
mean?”  Then  I explained,  and  I asked  him  how  he 
got  his  wife.  “I  bought  my  wife  for  a cow,”  he  said, 
“and  I have  not  been  able  to  pay  for  the  cow  yet.  If 
I can’t  pay  for  the  cow,  my  wife’s  parents  will  take 
her  from  me.” 


Persecuted  by  Priests 

When  I was  doing  mission  work  among  the  Spanish- 
Americans.  the  priests  used  to  persecute  me  terribly ; 


42 


IN  WILDEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 


but  when  we  were  persecuted  in  one  place,  we  went 
to  the  next.  I gave  a priest  a tract  once,  and  he  said 
to  me,  “Get  thee  behind  me  Satan.”  I said  in  reply, 
“Suppose  I am  a lost  child,  away  from  God,  what  is 
your  mission?  You  call  yourself  a minister  of  God, 
won’t  you  bring  me  back  to  God  as  a lost  sheep  to  the 
Good  Shepherd?”  That  priest  got  interested,  and  he 
said,  “I  will  convert  you.”  1 brought  out  my  Bible, 
but  he  told  me  to  put  it  away,  he  didn’t  need  that. 
“But,”  I said,  “this  is  the  Word  of  God.  Before  we 
left,  that  priest  said,  “God  bless  you.”  I believe  that 
God  touched  that  man’s  heart. 

In  a journey  from  Paraguay  to  Chili,  and  from 
Chili  to  Bolivia,  I had  some  wonderful  experiences. 
An  aged  man,  eighty-six  years  old,  after  hearing  me 
talk  about  the  love  of  God,  said,  “Blessed  be  God  for 
this  good  news.  It  is  the  first  time  I have  heard  it  in 
all  my  life.”  Another  man,  who  could  read  a little, 
and  to  whom  I gave  a New  Testament,  returned  it. 
and  said,  “Take  this  Book  back.  I cannot  read  it 
without  crying.  I never  knew  I had  such  a hard 
heart.”  God  spoke  to  that  man's  heart.  At  another 
time  I met  a young  man  who  had  been  seeking  for 
a Bible,  and  he  said,  “I  am  so  glad  I found  you.”  It 
was  to  him  like  finding  the  pearl  of  great  price. 

Then  we  traveled  up  to  Oruro.  Bolivia  is  one  of 
the  darkest  countries  in  the  world.  I learned  that 
one  man  had  lost  his  life  here  while  attempting  to 
teach  pure  Christianity.  I tried  to  find  something 
out  about  him,  but  I could  only  find  out  that  the 
fanatics  who  had  taken  the  martyr’s  life  themselves 
perished  within  a year  after  their  crime.  The  story 


IN  WILDEST  SOUTH  AMERICA  43 


A BOATING  PARTY  ON  THE  AMAZON 


IN  WILDEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 


45 


of  this  martyr  is  yet  to  be  told.  In  one  place,  a wife 
of  a missionary  had  her  head  cut  open,  and  it  was  a 
wonder  that  she  was  not  killed.  I tried  to  cheer  her  by 
saying,  “You  have  been  honored  to  wear  on  your 
brow  the  Saviour's  mark.”  It  is  a great  honor  to  die 
on  the  battle-field  of  the  Gospel,  and  to  be  carried  by 
angels  to  the  glory-land. 

Sometimes  I have  preached  the  Gospel  with  stones 
flying  over  my  head.  It  is  a glorious  thing  to  suffer 
for  Christ.  To  be  willing  to  lay  down  your  life  for 
the  Master’s  cause,—  then  you  will  be  filled  with  his 
wonderful  peace  and  joy,  which  passes  all  understand- 
ing. I do  not  wonder  about  those  old  martyrs.  Oh  ! 
it  is  very  easy  to  lay  down  your  life  for  the  blessed 
Saviour,  if  Christ  is  in  you. 

On  the  Great  Pampas 

I penetrated  the  great  Pampas.  We  had  some 
wonderful  meetings  here.  It  seemed  as  if  God’s 
Spirit  was  working  mightily.  One  night  we  had 
thirty  souls  seeking  their  Saviour. 

At  one  meeting  I asked  all  who  wished  to  be  saved 
to  raise  their  hands,  and  all  raised  their  hands ; and 
then  I asked  all  who  wished  to  be  saved  to  kneel,  and 
all  knelt.  They  all  professed  to  accept  Christ;  but  to 
find  out  the  reality  of  their  conversion,  we  went  to 
see  their  homes,  for  superstition  and  dirt  go  hand  in 
hand  in  South  America,  and  I tried  to  teach  them  to 
be  clean  as  well  as  to  be  Christians.  When  their 
homes  were  swept,  and  the  pigs  outside,  and  the 
children  washed,  we  believed  the  work  of  God  was 
going  on. 


46  IN  WILDEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 

On  my  last  long  and  dangerous  journey,  I left 
Buenos  Ayres  to  penetrate  the  great  River  Rio  de  la 
Plata.  On  board  the  steamer,  I counted  members  of 
twelve  different  tribes.  I asked  the  captain  if  I could 
preach  to  them,  and  he  said,  “Oh!  yes,  you  can  have 
the  ship,”  and  he  invited  the  people  to  the  meeting, 
and  we  had  a most  glorious  time.  What  a blessed 
privilege  to  preach  the  Gospel ! 1 preached  in  Spanish, 
mostly  all  understanding  Spanish. 

The  Lord  laid  it  on  my  heart  to  penetrate  inland. 
When  I told  my  wife  to  get  my  things  together,  ready 
for  the  start,  I saw  the  tears  roll  down  her  cheeks,  but 
I said  to  her,  gently:  “No,  no;  I must  do  the  work 

of  the  Lord;”  and  so,  without  another  word, she  helped 
me  to  prepare  for  the  journey. 

We  passed  up  the  Paraguay.  Here  we  lost  a bright 
young  missionary.  Sometimes  God's  ways  are  very 
mysterious. 


Starting  for  the  Interior 

At  last  we  reached  Corumba,  about  two  thousand 
miles  inland  from  the  coast.  You  can  go  into  either 
Brazil  or  Bolivia  from  Corumba.  Now  I commenced 
my  long  overland  journey  of  one  thousand  miles  on 
mule-back  to  Trinidad,  on  the  Mamore  river.  We 
find  here  savage  tribes  whose  very  existence  is  hardly 
known  to  the  civilized  world.  There  is  a great  work 
indeed  to  be  done  in  the  mighty  interior  of  South  Amer- 
ica. In  Bolivia  alone, there  are  about  one  million  savage 
Indians,  and  there  are  supposed  to  be  about  five  mil- 
lion Indians  in  all  those  regions.  They  are  waiting 


IN  WILDEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 


47 


' BRUJOS”  OR  FETISHMEN  OF  THE  TOBAS 


IN  WILDEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 


49 


for  the  Gospel.  Who  will  carry  the  message  of  the 
King  to  those  dark  heathen  ? 

Then  we  penetrated  into  the  forests.  One  night, — 
the  most  terrible  night  1 ever  spent, — we  lost  our  way 
in  the  forest,  surrounded  by  wild  beasts.  It  became 
so  dark  that  I could  not  see  my  Indian  guide  ; then  I 
could  not  see  my  mule  nor  my  hand,  and  at  last  I 
could  see  nothing.  The  only  thing  for  us  was  to 
travel  on.  When  you  are  exhausted,  it  is  not  safe  to 
lie  down.  We  had  no  food,  no  water,  and  it  seemed 
as  if  God  had  forsaken  us.  Still  we  went  on  and  on, 
until  my  Indian’s  mule  broke  down,  and  would  not  go 
any  more.  I said:  “We  cannot  stop  for  that.  Get 

hold  of  my  lasso,  and  I will  pull  you  along.”  On  we 
went,  and  then  my  mule  could  not  go  any  further. 

Lost  in  the  Forest 

We  were  lost  in  the  forest,  and  my  Indian  at  last 
threw  himself  on  the  ground,  saying:  “We  will  have 

to  lie  down.” 

After  a few  minutes,  he  jumped  up  and  screamed 
most  fearfully.  I thought  he  was  mad,  and  wondered 
what  I should  do.  In  South  America  there  are  terrible 
ants,  about  one  inch  long,  whose  attacks  are  often 
deadly.  The  Indian  was  covered  with  them.  I had 
on  boots  and  clothing,  but  they  got  inside  both,  and 
bit  me  until  I was  nearly  delirious.  The  two  of  us 
jumped  about  and  screamed  like  wild  men.  We  hur- 
ried away  from  that  place,  and  struggled  on  through 
the  forest.  About  daylight  we  found  a stream  of 
water,  and  I said,  “Get  in  and  swim,"  but  he  said, 
“No,  I can't  swim.  I am  too  tired  to  swim  across  the 


50 


IN  WILDES T SOUTH  AMERICA 


stream,”  I drank  as  much  as  I could.  It  is  always  a 
sweet  symbol  when  a man  is  thirsting  after  the 'Water 
of  Life,  and  is  satisfied.  When  the  morning  light  came, 

I pulled  off  my  boots  to  see  my  legs.  They  were  one 
great  mass  of  sores.  I was  in  a pitiful  state.  My 
agonv  seemed  intolerable,  and  I cried  to  God  for  de- 
liverance. Hope  took  possession  of  us,  believing  that 
God  would  open  the  way,  and  before  that  day  was 
over  we  reached  a place  of  refuge,  where  I had  a 
chance  to  rest  and  recover  from  my  awful  experience. 
One  morning  a tiger  came  up  to  our  camp,  but  God 
did  not  allow  it  to  harm  us. 

When  the  tropical  sun  is  right  over  one’s  head,  it  is 
necessary  to  wear  two  and  three  hats  to  protect  the 
head  from  the  scorching  rays.  I was  longing  some- 
times for  God  to  send  a little  cloud,  and  when  a cloud 
passed  over,  I was  praising  God.  Do  we  praise  God 
for  the  clouds?  Above  the  clouds  is  the  sunshine  and 
our  Father’s  face.  I desire  to  praise  God  for  the 
clouds  that  are  passing  over  my  life. 

One  night  the  savages  came  around  our  camp  and 
were  making  preparations  to  kill  us  off.  All  I could 
do  was  to  pray  to  God,  and  ask  him  to  watch  over  us, 
and  I slept  beautifully  that  night,  and  in  the  morning 
they  were  all  gone. 

Every  Bicycle  Represents  an  Indian’s  Life 

After  reaching  Trinidad,  we  sailed  down  the  River 
Mamore,  until  we  reached  the  great  India  rubber  ter- 
ritory. The  rubber  runs  down  the  trees  like  milk. 
These  poor  Indians  have  to  work  like  slaves.  I be- 
lieve every  bicycle  running  up  and  down  New  York 


IN  DARKEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 


5i 


INDIA-RUBBER  WORKERS  ON  THE  BENI  RIVER 


52 


IN  DARKEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 


represents  one  Indian’s  life.  Slavery  is  carried  on  in 
the  heart  of  South  America  in  connection  with  the 
India  rubber  trade,  and  the  future  prosperity  of  the 
India  rubber  business  is  largely  dependent  on  the 
evangelization  of  those  tribes,  roaming  about  in  the 
great  forests,  where  we  find  the  rubber  trees. 

The  Falls  of  the  Hadeira 

In  shooting  the  terrible  rapids  of  the  Madeira  Falls, 
we  were  traveling  in  canoes,  and  we  nearly  perished. 
I am  sorry  to  say  that  one  boat  that  came  after  us 
was  capsized  in  the  awful  cataract,  and  five  Indians 
lost  their  lives.  All  I could  do  at  the  time  was  to 
kneel  down,  and  pray  God  to  steer  our  boat  through 
the  narrow  channel  of  those  dangerous  paths. 

The  deadly  tropical  fevers  were  indeed  very  danger- 
ous, and  some  of  our  men  had  a narrow  escape,  and  I 
myself  had  a touch  of  the  fever  twice,  but  the  Lord 
delivered  me  from  all  harm. 

I do  praise  God  for  saving  my  life  in  that  perilous 
journey. 

There  is  a mighty  work  to  be  done  for  God  in  the 
heart  of  South  America.  Oh,  do  pray  for  those  lost 
tribes,  for  those  perishing  tribes,  who  have  never 
heard  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ!  If  you  cannot  help 
some  one  to  go,  and  cannot  go  yourself,  pray  for  those 
dear  missionaries  down  there.  Pray,  dear  friends, 
that  God  may  raise  up  men  and  women  and  anoint 
them  with  power,  and  send  them  forth  into  all  lands 
and  climes,  and  thus  hasten  the  Redeemer's  King- 
dom, because  I believe  that  Christ  will  have  in  his 
glorious  crown  jewels  from  every  tribe  and  clime. 


IN  WILDEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 


53 


LA  MATRIZ  CHURCH,  POTOSI,  BOLIVIA 


IN  DARKEST  SOUTH  AMERICA 


55 


I am  going  down  to  South  America  soon,  I trust, 
to  try  and  seek  for  those  precious  jewels  for  the 
Redeemer's  crown. 


AX  AMAZONIAN  CHIEF  IN  WAR  DRESS 


AMONG  THE  SAVAGE  TRIBES 

During  my  extended  and  remarkable  journey 
through  the  very  heart  of  South  America,  from 
Buenos  Ayres  to  the  great  Amazon  River,  a distance 
of  four  thousand  miles,  I came  in  touch  with  a num- 
ber of  Indian  tribes  dwelling  in  the  vast  interior  of 
the  South  American  continent  in  the  regions  of  the 
rivers  Cuapore,  Mamore,  Beni,  and  the  Madeira,  the 
last-named  one  of  the  greatest  tributaries  of  the 
Amazon.  It  takes  from  three  to  four  months  of  hard 
traveling  to  reach  some  of  these  inland  tribes,  and 
my  last  missionary  tour  was  the  severest  of  all. 
Truly,  Central  Africa  is  better  known  to  the  civilized 
world  to-day  than  dark  Central  South  America,  our 
sister  continent. 

I hope,  in  a larger  work  soon  to  be  published,  to 
give  a detailed  description  of  my  travels  of  fifteen 
thousand  miles  across  the  South  American  continent, 
but  my  object  now  is  chiefly  to  describe  a few  of  the 
strange  tribes  who  are  roaming  about  like  wild  ani- 
mals, in  the  unknown  forests  of  the  great  interior  of 
South  America. 

I do  not  pretend,  and  am  unable,  to  give  any  com- 
plete description  of  these  tribes,  but  I will  endeavor  to 
give  facts  of  interest,  which  came  to  my  knowledge 
either  from  personal  observation  or  from  information 
which  1 deemed  to  be  accurate, regarding  those  human 


AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES 


57 


inhabitants  of  the  deep  forests,  where  hardly  a white 
man  has  yet  set  foot,  and  in  some  parts  of  which  the 
writer  was  the  very  first. 

In  the  great  interior,  about  five  million  Indian  sav- 
ages are  to  be  found.  In  the  immense  territory  of 
Brazil,  there  are  at  least  182,400  square  miles  of  land 
occupied  by  these  tribes.  They  are  possessors,  or,  at 
least,  in  contiol  of  mineral  mines  of  silver,  gold,  dia- 


A PEACEFUL  INDIAN  SETTLEMENT 

monds  and  other  unknown  riches,  but  are,  with  rare 
exceptions,  almost  in  utter  ignorance  of  the  intrinsic 
value  of  this  untold  wealth.  In  Bolivia  there  are  be- 
lieved to  be  over  one  million  Indians  whom  the  gov- 
ernment has  not  been  able  to  subdue.  Indeed,  very 
little  has  ever  been  attempted  to  effect  the  civilization 
and  uplifting  of  these  immured  tribes,  so  impossible, 


58  AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES 

almost,  are  they  of  approach,  because  of  their  wildness. 

I will  now  give  a brief  description  of  a few  of  the 
tribes,  commencing  with  the  Chiriguanos  tribe,  living 
in  the  southern  part  of  Bolivia. 

Chiriguanos 

The  Chiriguanos  are  inhabitants  of  the  valley  that 
forms  the  slopes  of  the  eastern  side  of  the  great  An- 
des, and  in  the  plains  of  the  oriental  part  of  the  Gran 
Chaco,  extending  to  the  bounds  of  Santa  Cruz  de  la 
Sierra,  and  reaching  the  margin  of  the  river  Bermejo. 
The  Chiriguanos  tribe  is  also  known  by  the  names, 
“Abas,”  “Cambas,"  and  “Tembetas;”  the  last,  be- 
cause of  a ring  which  is  worn  in  a hole  pierced  through 
the  lower  lip.  They  belong  to  the  Guarani  race,  and 
speak  the  same  language.  It  is  almost  impossible  to 
state  the  exact  number  of  the  tribe,  but  it  probably 
approaches  fifty  thousand.  They  live  in  complete  in- 
dependence and  separation  from  the  so-called  semi- 
civilized  tribes.  Upon  festal  occasions  they  congre- 
gate in  small  groups,— family  reunions, — and  paint 
their  faces.  They  are  always  on  the  alert  to  preserve 
their  country  from  intrusion,  and  have  often  engaged 
in  fierce  conflicts  to  bar  all  strangers  from  their  terri- 
tory. The  Jesuit  Fathers  have  been  unable  to  Chris- 
tianize or  civilize  them,  although  several  attempts 
have  been  made.  The  Chiriguanos  were  not  always 
so  fierce  in  nature,  but  the  whites  have  treated  them 
cruelly,  and  their  chiefs,  who  exercise  despotic  rule, 
are  unyielding  in  their  hatred  of  strangers. 

Like  most  of  the  South  American  Indians,  the  Chi- 
riguanos have  a natural  repugnance  to  hard  work. 


AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES  59 


RANCHO”  OF  SEMI-CIVILIZED  INDIANS 


AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES 


61 


INDIANS  FISHING  WITH  BOW  AND  ARROW 

and  very  few  of  them  are  willing  to  till  the  land. 
They  exist  mainly  on  animal  food,  which  they  hunt  in 
the  great  forests,  though  some  are  disposed  to  maintain 
chacos  (gardens,)  for  the  cultivation  of  maize,  (corn,) 
from  which  they  distill  a popular  drink  called  chican. 
They  are  intensely  fond  of  ckicau,  and  enjoy  its  in- 
toxicating influence,  which  reduces  them  to  worse 
degradation  than  ever.  The  women  and  children  are 
cruelly  neglected,  and  for  days  are  left  almost  in 
destitution  while  the  men  are  wandering  about  the 
country  in  search  of  intoxicating  liquor.  The  women 
are  abject  slaves  to  their  patrons,  as  their  husbands 
are  called.  The  few  Chiriguanos  who  have  any  cover- 
ing wear  a woolen  material  cut  square,  like  a large 
shawl,  with  a hole  in  the  center  through  which  thev 
put  their  heads.  This  is  called  a pane  ho.  The  chil- 


02 


AMONG  THE  SAVAGE  TRIBES 


dren  are  allowed  no  covering  whatever  until  upwards 
of  twelve  years  of  age.  Both  children  and  their  elders 
go  barefooted,  and  travel  long  distances  in  this  con- 
dition. I remember  one  Indian  chief  who  traveled 
one  thousand  miles  barefooted,  with  four  of  his  men, 
in  search  of  a missionary  to  teach  his  tribe.  At  night 
a few  sleep  in  hammocks,  but  the  greater  number  of 
them  lie  on  the  skin  of  some  animal, which  they  spread 
upon  the  ground.  Indians  are  very  fond  of  dogs,  and 
while  frequently  they  have  no  food  to  give  them,  they 
still  keep  them  as  companions,  for  these  dogs  are 
valuable  on  the  hunting  field. 

Curious  Courtship 

The  courtship  of  the  Chiriguanos  is  very  unique. 
The  brides  of  this  tribe  are  not  won  by  honeyed  words, 
languishing  smiles,  and  dainty  attentions,  like  the 
American  belles.  The  young  Indian  who  loves  and 
desires  to  win  his  sweetheart,  at  night  time  piles  a 
great  heap  of  wood  outside  her  parents’  abode.  If,  on 
the  following  day,  the  head  of  the  house  puts  a heap 
of  wood  beside  the  lover’s  pile,  that  is  accepted  as  a 
signal  that  the  latter  may  woo  the  daughter  of  the 
family,  and  he  is  at  liberty  to  present  himself  to  her 
parents  and  ask  for  his  bride.  But  if  the  heap  of 
wood  remains  in  the  same  place  for  a few  days  un- 
noticed, or  if  the  owner  of  the  house  throws  it  farther 
away,  then  the  young  Indian  knows  to  his  sorrow 
that  his  worship  at  this  shrine  has  been  in  vain ; and, 
in  consequence,  he  must  needs  repeat  the  same  cere- 
mony at  other  ranchos  until  he  succeeds  in  obtain- 


AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES 


WILD  TRIBEMENS  HUNTING  IN  THE  FOREST 


AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES  65 

ing  a wife.  As  a general  rule,  a Chiriguano  has  only 
one  wife,  but  the  chiefs  indulge  in  polygamy. 

Harriage  in  Patagonia 

The  Patagonians  have  a different  way.  One  day, 
while  traveling  in  company  with  a Patagonian  Indian, 
I asked  him  if  he  was  married.  In  great  wonderment 
he  asked,  “What  is  that?” 

I explained,  and  then  asked  in  what  manner  he  ob- 
tained his  wife. 

“Oh,”  he  replied,  “I  bought  and  paid  for  her  with  a 
cow but  he  added,  with  evident  sadness,  that  he  had 
not  yet  completed  the  payment  for  the  cow,  though  he 
hoped  to  soon,  or  the  parents  of  his  bride  would  compel 
her  return  to  the  parental  roof,  as  is  the  custom,  and 
he  would  then  be  degraded. 

Strange  Burial  Ceremonies 

One  strange  thing  about  the  Chiriguanos  is  that 
they  have  no  outward  forms  of  religion,  nor  do  they 
have  any  idols  or  temples,  neither  do  they  appear  to 
worship  anything.  It  is  evident,  however,  that  they 
entertain  some  vague  belief  of  the  existence  of  mysteri- 
ous spirits  in  far-off  worlds,  and  a Timpa,  or  God,  and 
a demon,  which  they  call  And.  From  the  demonstra- 
tions over  and  provisions  for  their  dead,  it  is  also  evi- 
dent they  believe,  to  some  extent,  in  a future  exist- 
ence. They  bury  the  departed  under  the  ground  of 
the  house  which  he  or  she  occupied  when  living.  The 
body  is  dressed  in  the  best  the  relatives  can  afford, 
and  is  placed  in  a sitting  posture,  with  a light  beside 
it,  and  also  some  mat  if  de  chicha  (the  favorite  drink  of 


66 


AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES 


South  American  Indians,)  to  quench  the  thirst  during 
the  long  journey  to  the  unknown.  A parrot  is  usually 
buried  with  the  remains.  [Other  Indian  tribes  fre- 
quently bury  a favorite  horse  or  other  animal  with  the 
dead.]  The  relatives  remain  seated  during  the  burial 

ceremony.  Their  grief 
for  the  departed  lasts 
for  several  months, 
and  their  crying  and 
lamentati ons  com- 
mence at  sunset  and 
continue  until  sunrise; 
but  at  certain  periods 
they  hold  their  lamen- 
tations day  and  night 
and  are  constantly 
wailing.  Since  in  many 
of  the  Indian  villages 
numbers  frequently  die 
from  prevalent  dis- 
eases, the  lamentations 
are  almost  unbearable, 
and  the  i m p r e s sion 
made  is  most  distress- 
ing. It  is  like  hearing 
the  groans  of  a vast 
number  of  souls  in  torment, — a sound  that  one  who 
has  heard  it  is  never  likely  to  forget. 

The  superstitions  of  the  Chiriguanos  render  them 
afraid  to  travel  in  the  night,  and  in  some  places  they 
fear  even  to  pass  in  the  daytime,  being  persuaded 
that  there  are  some  unknown  and  invisible  spirits 


AMAZONIAN  CHIEF 


AMONG  THE  SAVAGE  TRIBES 


67 


A TOBAS  FAMILY 


AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES 


69 


near  at  hand  to  do  them  great  harm.  They  also  be- 
lieve that  certain  men  are  gifted  with  supernatural 
power  to  produce  sickness  or  plagues,  to  stop  the  rain, 
and  to  be  capable  of  anything  that  would  destroy 
the  tribe.  These  men  the  Indians  call  Brujos , — some 
being  good  Brujos  and  some  bad.  The  Indians  are 
very  much  afraid  of  the  evil  Brujos , but  the  good 
Brujos  are  held  in  high  esteem  and  lead  enviable 
lives,  as  the  Indians,  in  their  superstition,  will  do 
almost  anything  to  win  their  favor,  especially  when 
they  think  a Brujo  is  vested  with  power  to  raise  the 
dead  or  to  kill. 

The  Chaneses  live  close  to  the  Chiriguanos,  and 
often  commingle  with  their  tribe;  but  are  regarded 
and  treated  as  inferiors.  The  Chaneses,  in  former 
years,  were  very  numerous,  but  recently  were  almost 
extinguished  in  battle  with  the  Chiriguanos.  The 
Chaneses  speak  the  language  and  dialect  of  the 
Chiriguanos,  and  their  customs  are  a counterpart  of 
that  tribe,  of  which  it  is  probable  they  are  an  off- 
shoot ; but,  owing  to  dissensions,  have  retired  to  the 
regions  of  Itivuru  and  the  slopes  of  the  valley  of 
Caipipendi. 


Matacos 

The  Matacos  tribe  is  known  also  by  the  names, 
Matagnayos,  Notenes,  Vejoses,  Ocoles,  Malbalas, 
Chunupis,  and  other  names,  according  to  the  different 
places  which  they  occupy  in  their  own  territory. 
There  is  hardly  any  difference  in  these  branches, 
however.  They  all  speak  the  same  language,  and 
their  customs  are  alike.  This  tribe  dwells  in  the 


70 


AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES 


territory  extending  to  the  eastern  part  of  Central 
Chaco,  and  reaching  as  far  as  the  margin  of  the  River 
Bermejo  and  on  the  right  bank  of  the  River  Pilco- 
mayo.  They  number  about  20,000  in  all.  One  pe- 
culiarity of  this  tribe  is  that,  almost  without  excep- 
tion, the  height  of  adults  is  five  feet.  They  are  thin 
and  not  so  muscular  as  most  tribes;  but,  though  not 


NEARLY  SWAMPED  ON  THE  MADEIRA 

expert  warriors,  they  fight  hard  in  battle.  They  have 
but  few  powerful  chiefs.  Their  arms  consist  of  the 
bow  and  arrow  and  the  spear.  In  disposition  they  are 
reserved,  and  their  look  is  suspicious  and  treacherous ; 
they  are  naturally  cowards  and  revengeful. 

The  homes  of  this  tribe  are  most  uninviting.  The 
several  generations  of  one  family  flock  together  at 
night  under  the  roof  of  their  one-room  dwelling,  with 


7i 


AMONG  THE  SAVAGE  TRIBES 


ICENE  IN  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  TOBAS 


AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES 


73 


the  company  of  their  dogs  added.  They  all  sleep  on 
the  ground,  or  perhaps  on  the  skins  of  stolen  cattle, 
and  to  economize  space  they  pillow  their  heads  upon 
each  other's  breasts,  allowing  their  dogs  the  same 
privilege;  perhaps  twenty  or  thirty  beings  huddle 
together  in  this  way  beneath  one  roof.  The  crowding 
and  the  unsanitary  atmosphere  make  the  homes  of 
these  Indians  centers  of  disease,  and  make  them 
teem  with  poisonous  and  troublesome  insects.  So 
utterly  unendurable  does  this  baneful  condition  be- 
come that  at  last  the  Indians  are  compelled  to  burn 
their  dwellings,  and  migrate  to  other  parts,  where 
the  experience  is  repeated. 

On  festive  occasions,  the  Matacos  paint  their  faces 
with  charred  coal  from  the  fire.  It  is  seldom,  indeed, 
that  they  bathe,  but  whenever  they  do,  for  a bath 
towel,  they  roll  in  the  sand  of  the  shore.  In  cutting 
the  hair,  a piece  of  sharp  fish-bone  is  used.  The  men 
have  no  need  of  barbers,  because  with  their  claw-like 
nails  they  extract  each  separate  hair  from  the  face. 
Their  chief  adornment  consists  in  wearing  a piece  of 
wood  in  a hole  pierced  through  the  ears. 

The  Matacos  have  no  form  of  marriage  ceremony. 
At  an  early  age,  a child  is  allowed  to  select  a com- 
panion, after  which  they  both  star:  for  the  solitude  of 
the  forest  to  spend  their  honeymoon.  After  a few 
days,  they  return  to  the  parental  roof,  taking  up  the 
ordinary  duties  of  life,  and  are  thereafter  loyal  and 
faithful  to  each  other.  A separation  is  a most  unusual 
occurrence  among  the  Indians,  savage  and  uncultured 
as  they  are. 


74 


AMONG  THE  SA  FACE  TRIBES 


No  idols  are  worshiped  by  this  tribe,  neither  have 
they  any  temples;  but  they  entertain  a superstitious 
regard  for  a mystic  spirit,  which  they  call  Ohott-at , 
which  means  the  Great  Spirit,  and  also  for  some  in- 
visible being,  called  Taj-juaji,  (Unknown,)  and 
while  to  them  a soul  ( nausec ,)  is  a fact,  it  teaches 


PLANTATION  IN  BOLIVIA 

them  nothing  of  a future  destiny.  Brujos , or 
wizards,  also  abide  in  this  tribe,  and,  at  the  time  of 
new  moon,  call  the  Matacos  together  for  strange 
dances,  accompanied  by  weird  melodies. 

Peaceful  and  Domestic 

The  Guisnais  live  together  in  small  families  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  River  Pilcomayo.  They  are  peace- 
ful and  domestic,  and  manifestly  thrifty,  as  is  evi- 


AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES 


75 


‘ganchos”  on  the  pampas 


AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES 


77 


denced  by  the  well-cultivated  land.  Fine  cattle  and 
horses  are  among  their  possessions.  This  tribe  is  not 
an  important  one,  and  is  few  in  numbers.  It  would 
be  very  easy  to  civilize  the  entire  tribe,  and  through 
it  it  would  be  possible  to  reach  the  savage  tribe 
called  Tobas. 

The  Tobas  are  a very  distinguished  tribe,  warlike 
and  dangerous,  and  noted  for  their  great  daring. 
They  occupy  the  left  bank  of  the  river  Pilcomayo, 
and  the  territory  in  front  of  the  Chiriguanos  tribe.  In 
stature  they  are  of  medium  height,  averaging  about 
five  feet  six  inches,  and  are  exceedingly  strong  and 
able-bodied.  They  have  an  intense  and  bitter  hatred 
of  the  white  man.  and  many  explorers  and  travelers 
have  lost  their  lives  in  the  rich  territory  of  the  river 
Pilcomayo  and  the  Gran  Chico. 

The  Tobas  often  make  fierce  and  deadly  attacks 
upon  the  white  settlers  on  the  frontier  of  the  Argen- 
tine Republic,  stealing  cattle,  desolating  their  homes, 
and  destroying  property.  They  ride  wild  horses  bare- 
back  over  the  country,  guiding  them  simply  with  a 
small  cord,  yet  keeping  them  under  such  perfect  con- 
trol that,  though  riding  swiftly,  they  can  throw  their 
spears  right  and  left  with  accurate  aim.  From  the 
waist  down  only  are  they  clothed,  the  women  wearing 
Irapos  and  the  men  pantanos.  During  warfare,  the 
men  paint  their  faces  and  the  greater  portion  of  their 
bodies  wfth  varied  colors,  black  predominating. 

The  Tobas,  as  represented  in  an  accompanying 
picture,  are  some  of  the  semi-civilized  portion  of  the 
tribe.  The  wild  ones  cannot  be  persuaded  to  stand 


78  AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES 

for  a picture,  and  are  almost  impossible  of  approach. 
“While  traveling  farther  north,  through  the  Chiquitano 
tribe,  to  whom  I preached  through  an  interpreter,  the 
Indians  treated  me  with  great  distinction,  and  em- 
braced me  at  parting,  as  is  their  custom.  Yet,  though 
I had,  to  a degree,  won  their  confidence,  so  super- 
stitious were  they  I could  by  no  strategy  get  them  to 


THE  FALLS  OF  THE  MADEIRA 

stand  for  a picture,  because  they  said  1 would  carry 
away  their  souls  in  su  cajon  negro — (my  black  box). 

The  Tobas  also  have  their  brujos , or  what  would 
be  called  in  Africa  fetishmen.  But  in  this  tribe  the 
brujos  wield  greater  power  and  their  commands  are 
more  strictly  carried  out,  for  they  are  held  in  great 
fear  and  awe.  For  instance,  if  a brujo  decides  that  a 
sick  person  cannot  be  cured,  especially  should  the 
patient  be  young,  the  brujos  exercise  their  authority. 


AMONG  THE  SAVAGE  TRIBES 


79 


THE  ‘ GAUCHOS”  TAMING  A WILD  MARE 


AMONG  THE  SAVAGE  TRIBES 


and  immediately  the  order  is  given  to  club  the  person 
on  the  head  until  he  is  dead,  even  though  he  be  able 
to  go  about.  But  an  old  Indian,  as  a rule,  is  not  so 
disposed  of,  but  is  simply  buried  alive;  and,  strange 
to  say.  in  some  instances,  an  old  Indian  will,  of  his 
own  volition,  ask  to  be  thus  put  an  end  to,  because  he 
is  tired  of  life.  Others  are  sometimes  taken  from  the 
rancho , or  home,  forcibly,  by  relatives,  to  a selected 
spot  in  the  forest,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  doomed 
person  a grave  is  dug  of  sufficient  size,  into  which  the 
poor  unfortunate  is  put,  perfectly  nude  and  in  a sit- 
ting posture,  and  his  head  is  forced  down  upon  his 
breast  firmly,  and  held  in  that  agonizing  position 

while  the  earth  is  filled 
in  about  him,  until,  in 
fright  and  horror,  he 
finally  dies.  After  this 
ceremony,  the  only 
tombstone  erected  to 
his  memory  is  a pile  of 
wood  heaped  on  the  top 
of  his  cruel  grave,  and 
sometimes  a jar  of  wa- 
ter. If  a woman  has 
much  love  fora  hus- 
band,  she  places  a 
bunch  of  fruit  on  a tree 
beside  the  grave  to  re- 
fresh him  on  his  far- 
away journey.  T h e 
work  of  killing  and 
a forest  Indian  burying  the  dead,  de- 


82 


AMONG  THE  SAVAGE  TRIBES 


volves  almost  exclusively  upon  the  women  of  this 
tribe.  And  they  do  not  shrink  from  this  duty,  believ- 
ing that  they  are  performing  a noble  deed  and  pious 
function.  It  is  also  their  belief  that  when  a man, 
by  reason  of  illness  or  old  age,  has  passed  his  day  of 
usefulness,  he  is  timid  and  a coward,  and  unable  to 
do  his  part  in  war  and  in  the  chase,  and  should  no 
longer  have  a place  among  them. 

TheTobas  have  no  definite  idea  of  the  soul,  nor  of  a 
future  life  and  destiny,  and  only  a visionary  concep- 
tion of  a Supreme  Being,  whom  they  call  Paeyac. 
Cruel  and  bloodthirsty, they  are  most  difficult  to  reach, 
much  more  to  civilize.  In  1883,  the  explorer, Crevaux, 
and  twenty  of  his  expedition,  were  assassinated  by 
the  Tobas,  and  all  their  effects  seized. 

Great  Fighters  and  Thieves 

In  Bolivia  and  other  parts, this  tribe  occupies  the  low 
lands  on  the  bank  of  the  Pilcomayo  River,  close  to  the 
River  Paraguay,  and  are  assumed  to  be  a branch  of 
the  Tobas  family,  for  their  language  is  much  the 
same, though  it  is  more  probable  they  sprang  from  the 
intermingled  races  of  Tobas,  Guaranis,  Guarayas, 
Payaguas,  and  other  tribes  unknown  and  without 
names.  The  Guaicurus  Indians  are  very  numerous, 
and  most  of  them  are  great  fighters  and  thieves. 
Some  few  travel  with  the  whites  on  the  River  Para- 
guay, trading  tiger  skins,  for  which  they  receive  a few 
asses,  knives,  fishhooks,  etc.,  which  the  Indians  prize 
very  highly. 

The  Chorotis  tribe  is  settled  southeast  of  the  Tobas 


AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES  83 


GROUP  OF  SEMI-CIVILIZED  SOUTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS 


AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES 


35 


tribe,  and  occupies  the  right  bank  of  the  River  Pilco- 
mavo  between  Cabayurepoti  and  Piquirenda.  It  is  a 
large  tribe,  and  somewhat  fierce.  It  is  given 
much  to  hunting,  but  its  principal  occupation  is 
fishing.  A few  attend  to  the  cultivation  of  the  land, 
and  possess  domestic  animals.  They  have  a manifest 
desire  to  come  in  touch  with  semi-civilized  tribes,  but 
in  bygone  years  were  in  continual  warfare,  which  re- 
sulted disastrously  to  the  tribe.  The  Chorotis  Indians 
are  much  afraid  of  the  Tobas,  with  whom,  however, 
they  hold  some  communication.  I think,  in  time,  this 
tribe  could  be  brought  to  a civilized  condition  through 
kind  and  judicious  treatment. 

The  Tapietes  dwell  in  the  territory  north  and  south- 
east of  the  Chorotis  tribe,  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  Pilcomayo  River.  This  tribe  belongs  to  the 
Guarani  race,  but  speaks  the  Chiriguanos  language, 
and  while  their  origin  is  uncertain,  it  is  possible  they 
were  once  closely  allied  to  the  Chiriguanos  and  were 
formerly  from  Paraguay.  The  Tapietes  roam  about 
clad  only  by  nature,  and  are,  therefore,  known  by  the 
name  Tirumbae , which  means,  without  clothing. 

It  is  not  an  easy  task  to  master  the  languages  and 
dialects  spoken  among  the  Indian  tribes  of  South 
America.  For  instance,  in  the  language  of  the  Guari- 
curus,  the  name  Dios  (or  God,)  is  pronounced  Cano- 
huainatagodit.  The  name  of  Diablo  (or  devil,)  is  pro- 
nounced Itainianaigoljigodo;  Cielo  (or  heaven,)  is 
Dibidibimaidi;  and  again  such  awful  words  as: 
Guarapachizay apum , Onitinaguindisamocosz , Gua- 
chachitiapae-bicachi,  Nidisomocosxti  hua  T upasx,  are 


36 


AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES 


almost  beyond  the  power  of  pronunciation  by  anyone 
except  the  Indians  themselves. 

A Wonderful  Tribe 

And  now  we  come  to  the  most  wonderful  and  pecu- 
liar-looking tribe  I have  ever  met  in  all  my  travels, — 
the  Sirionos.  They  live  in  the  territories  of  Bibosi, 
Guarayos,  Carmen  and  Loreto  de  Mojos  and  El  Rio 


A YOUNG  BOLIVIAN  SAVAGE 


AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES 


87 


Piray.  They  are  a powerful,  ferocious  race,  and  great 
hunters.  With  the  bow  and  arrow  they  are  wonder- 
ful experts,  aiming  with  marvelous  accuracy.  Their 
bows  are  very  large  and  the  points  of  the  arrows  are 
infected  with  poison,  death-dealing  in  its  flight.  Their 
raiment  is  naught  but  the  zephyrs  of  the  woodland 
and  the  shadows  of  the  forest  foliage.  The  peculiarity 
of  these  Indians  is  they  are  what  is  called  slant-eyed, 
— that  is,  each  eye  looks  out  in  an  exactly  opposite  di- 
rection at  the  same  time.  They  can  look  behind  them, 
sideways,  upward  and  downward,  but  never  straight 
in  front  with  both  eyes.  If  their  moral  and  mental 
vision  could  but  attain  such  varied  mastery,  what 
wonderful  adepts  they  would  soon  become  in  diplo- 
matic service ! what  powerful  officials  in  governmental 
chambers ! 

This  tribe  has  been  compelled,  for  many  genera- 
tions, to  be  on  sharp  lookout  for  the  stealthy  attack  of 
the  venomous  serpents  and  the  sudden  spring  of  the 
tiger  and  other  wild  beasts  of  the  vast  forests,  and 
each  eye  has  become  so  strained  and  forced  into  an 
unnatural  focus  that  it  looks  out  to  the  right  or  left. 
But  in  spite  of  this  defect,  they  can  see  more  at  a 
glance  than  a white  man  can  in  a week,  and  their 
hearing  is  acute.  Their  feet  turn  directly  inward, 
and  they  cut  their  hair  with  a sharp  piece  of  sugar- 
cane. 


Indians  of  the  Amazon 

The  Indtansof  the  Amazon  live  in  the  impenetrable 
forests  of  the  upper  valley  of  that  mighty  river,  where 
no  European  explorer  has  yet  penetrated,  and  they 


8S 


AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES 

roam  about  much  like  beasts,  unclad  and  untaught. 
On  the  banks  of  the  Purus,  a single  tributary  of  the 
Amazon,  there  are  believed  to  be  over  thirty  Indian 
tribes  whose  names  are  known,  and  there  are  rumors 
of  many  more.  The  Indian  chiefs  of  this  race  bedeck 
themselves  with  wonderful  adornments;  their  skin  is 
very  dark  and  smooth,  and  they  are  fierce  warriors. 

Descendants  of  the  Incas 

Then  there  are  the  Ouichua-speaking  Indians,  the 
descendants  of  the  Inca  race,  who  speak  a language 
“that  will  never  die."  Many  ruins  of  their  magnifi- 
cent works  ot  architecture  remain,  speaking  of  the 
ruined  civilization  and  remote  antiquity  of  their  mar- 
velous race,  whose  empire  was  crushed  by  the  .Span- 
iards. The  sun  circles  of  Scandinavia  and  Tartary, 
the  stone  circles  of  Carnac  in  Brittany,  and  Stone- 
henge in  England,  find  their  counterparts  in  the  stone 
circles  of  Peru.  The  prehistoric  and  comparatively 
high  civilization  of  the  Inca  dynasty  which,  rising  in 
the  eleventh  century,  attained  its  greatest  extension 
and  supremacy  at  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  Amer- 
ica  by  Columbus,  fell  before  Pizarro.  in  1532. 

The  scattering  tribes  of  Indians  on  the  great  Ori- 
noco River  are  also  very  little  known  to  the  world, 
and  the  great  problem  of  South  America’s  future 
prosperity  and  power  can  only  be  solved,  to  my  mind, 
by  the  evangelization  and  civilization  of  these  dark, 
wild,  benighted  races  of  the  hidden  forests.  The 
country  is  rich  in  forest  trees,  sublime  lakes,  medicinal 
barks,  India  rubber,  and  mines  of  untold  wealth, 
silver,  gold,  diamonds  and  precious  stones,  a field, 


AMONG  THE  SA  VAGE  TRIBES 


S9 


indeed,  of  great  magnitude  for  industrial  develop- 
ment and  the  opening  up  of  new  veins  of  commerce. 
Hut  evangelization  and  civilization  are  the  two  first 
mighty  stepping-stones  to  future  possibilities,  and  can 
only  be  safely  crossed  by  the  use  of  the  gospel.  The 
gospel  is  God’s  all-conquering  power  over  tribes  and 
nations,  the  only  perfect  civilizer  of  fallen  man  in 
every  land  and  clime,  and,  as  the  illustrious  Gladstone 
rightly  called  it: — 

“The  greatest  gift  to  mankind.” 


SKETCHED  NEAR  THE  BEN-' 


